Ingenuity and creativity at the Sikat Pinoy fair

The first edition of the Sikat Pinoy handicrafts fair opened Thursday, Sept. 19 at the SM Megatrade Halls in Mandaluyong City. It was hosted by the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI).  

 

“Tatlo ang ibig ipapahulugan nito [the name of the trade fair],” said Secretary of Trade and Industry Gregory Domingo as he addressed the crowd at the opening ceremony. “Sikat, as in famous, o sikat na 'yan po yung liwanag. . .pwede ring sikat, as in pag-angat, to rise.”

The event was tagged with “Piling-piling produktong Pilipino” and aims to showcase top-of-the-line Filipino handicrafts—Filipino ingenuity and craftsmanship at its best. A month before, the Sikat Pinoy National Food fair was held at the same venue.

 

Over 300 exhibitors from sixteen regions filled the hall to overflowing with an array of clothing items, lotions and sprays, kitchen apparatus, household decorations, and holiday décor.

 

“Kaya kulang pa 'tong lugar—kailangan palakihin na itong exhibition hall nila,” joked Domingo,who later opened the fair by pushing a button that lit all the parols on display in the Christmas showcase just beyond the entrance of Megatrade Hall 1.

 

“Sa marami hong mga negosyanteng maliliit, being invited to join a DTI trade fair is a great opportunity to promote the products at the national level and eventually create a steppingstone to [penetrating] the global market,” he added. “This is a big step for us in reaching our shared goal towards inclusive growth.”

 

Indeed, the fair was divided into three settings in order to better attract the public: a New Products Showcase by Design Center Philippines, a Raw Materials Showcase featuring items made of indigenous raw materials, and the Christmas Showcase.

 

Bamboo lights

 

Jred Arts & Crafts—formerly Wild Bamboo Crafts—expanded their repertoire to include coconut wood and capiz and candle holders, but it is clear that their very best product is still the bamboo lamps that made their name for the last seven years that they've been in business. In fact, they bagged a nomination for Most Innovative Project.

“Every year, siyempre dapat may bagong design,” said Anna Macabuhay, co-owner of the enterprise along with her husband Danny, when asked why they decided to add other raw materials to their repertoire. “Siyempre, yung iba, mag-sasawa.”

 

Handmade silk products

 

The little group representing the Association of Saranggani Quality Producers sell colorful silk shawls, bags, laptop cases, and iPod kits, to name just a few things on their wide roster of goods. But they drew more attention from the crowd than most other stalls due to having brought with them their means of livelihood: a handmade wooden loom.

 

“Ito yung pinakamaliit sa kanila,” said Fatima, who helps manage the stall along with her aunt.

 

She said the Association has a small building full of these looms in Saranggani. “For sale din po siya, P10,000.”

 

The DTI bade them to bring the loom to all their trade fairs, whether these be in Zamboanga or Manila – all 55 kilos of it. This, Fatima said, was to prove to their customers that their products really are handmade whenever they ask why an item is so expensive.

 

The cheapest of their wares is a sturdy silk tote bag worth P175, while their most expensive is a tasseled silk shawl priced at P850.

 

The Association's motto is “Fabli Gu Ni”—B'laan for “For Sale.”

 

Cute Christmas décor

 

The area allotted for the Christmas Decor Producers and Exporters Association of the Philippines is expectedly bright and festive with fake fir wreaths, golden balls, and glittering angels, to name a few. One of the booths that stood out belonged to Femeen Crafts Int'l Inc.

Femeen Crafts's shelves were overflowing with tall and gaily-painted wooden townhouses; elaborately-carved Christmas trees; and ceramic statues, plates, and pictures of Santa Claus and Jesus Christ.

 

Femeen Crafts—as owned by Ferdinand Danguilan—is based in Las Piñas, but the business has gotten so many invitations to other trade fairs that Danguilan has had to turn down a couple due to limited stocks.

 

The company specializes in wooden décor, specifically Christmas décor, although Danguilan estimates that about 40% of their products is every day décor. Just this year, he launched test toy learning products for young children aged one to three years old: a cloth book teaching kids about zippers, buttons, and shoelace, and a zip-up dollhouse and accessory house where kids can put their smaller toys.

 

“Actually, sa Learning Packet ng US ito,” he said of the test toys. “Tinetest ko pa lang sa Philippine market. So far, meron namang mga inquiries, pero kulang-kulang na lang yung packaging para more presentable sa buyers.”

 

“May mga designers kami locally and mga designers sa US,” he added, gesturing to the Christmas décor. “Sila nagbibigay nang design sa amin at kami yung nagpoproduct draft.” – KDM, GMA News 

 

The Sikat Pinoy handicrafts fair will run until Sept. 23 at all three SM Megatrade Halls.